Over the last few months, it has become apparent that Microsoft is going ‘all-in’ with Windows 8. Microsoft is forcing users to adapt to the Windows 8 interface, and it recently upgraded all of its employees to Windows 8 phones, tablets, and computers.
But every smart company has a backup plan just in case their product launch fails, right?
Apparently not.
During an interview with The Seattle Times, Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer was asked what would happen if Windows 8 isn’t as successful as the company hopes. Instead of answering that question directly, Ballmer dodged it and simply said that, “You know, Windows 8 is going to do great.” When pressed further, he said “I don’t have any [doubts]. It’s a fantastic product.”
In other words, when Microsoft goes all-in with a product launch, it really goes all-in. By the end of this year, the Windows 8 operating system will be seen on tablets, phones, and computers around the world. It’s unknown, however, how many users would be willing to upgrade from Windows 7, which set a high bar for Windows 8 in terms of performance and usability.
Will Windows 8 be great?
Unfortunately for Ballmer, his prediction doesn’t appear to be 100% accurate. Early reviews of Windows 8 are mixed, with many of the complaints arising over the new Metro interface. Users are claiming that it has a steep learning curve when compared to the traditional Windows desktop, and that it can be difficult to customize. However, on the positive side of things, Windows 8 features fast boot times, lower resource usage, better multi-monitor support, and other benefits.
Although the operating system has not yet been released, we’ll have to wait and see what consumers think when Windows 8 is released on October 26.